Openly gay LGBT rights activist Hasan Atik is running for political office in Turkey. The People’s Democratic Party (HDP) included Atik on its list of candidates for the June 24 election. He will run for a seat in the north-west province of Edirne.

Atik has long campaigned for LGBT and HIV rights. He says his goal is “to announce the most powerful claim to life based on equal citizenship for LGBT people.”

“Among the most urgent demands are the right to live. We will fight issues such as stigma and discrimination, which are [happening] heavily in Turkey,” he says.

“The right to life is our most urgent request,” he says. “Citizenship, freedom, marriage, employment and so on. To be equal in these fields are amongst our demands. I will fight for the identification and implementation of hate crimes. I will voice our strongest wish to live a life based on equal citizenship, not positive discrimination.”

Hasan Atik is also advocating for rights in the field of HIV and AIDS. “The area of IV / AIDS is a very knife ridge area,” he explains.